February 22, 2021
Venturing Out is a video series from H Venture Partners about life after the corporate C-suite. Founder and managing partner Elizabeth Edwards talks to consumer executives about the next phase of their careers, and what led them to become involved in venture capital investing.
Jim Stengel is the former CMO of P&G, transforming brand marketing for companies like Hershey, Lexus, Nestle, SC Johnson, Pampers and COVERGIRL. During his tenure, he also served on the boards of AOL and Motorola, which were eventually acquired by Verizon and Google. Following his departure from consumer giant after 25 years, Jim worked with a coach to be intentional about his next steps. He considered academia, CEO roles, and even just entering retirement a bit sooner than most. “Or,” he thought, “do I want a portfolio approach to life, with the purpose at the center of it?” He chose the latter. “It was very consistent with my personality,” he says. “I do like variety. I like change. I like innovation. I like diversity. I like conceptual thinking.”
Among his other ventures -- The CMO Podcast, consulting -- he was the perfect fit for venture capital, too. In this episode of Venturing Out, hear more about how Jim found venture capital and what investment themes he’s most excited about for 2021.